Table 2

The inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting the studies on the basis of PICOS

PICOS criteria
Participants	Participants were to be 18–65 years of age. The study did not involve disease-state populations (for example multiple sclerosis rehabilitation patients.
Interventions	Interventions must be designed to improve PA and to prevent physical inactivity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other side effects of sedentary life style. The study only included community-based interventions.
Comparisons	Studies must provide an assessment of an intervention group through comparison with a control or comparison group which was simultaneously derived from the same or similar settings.
Outcomes	Participants were to be 18–65 years of age. Participation in PA must be one of the measured outcomes. Studies must at least demonstrate a specific measure of PA (objective, self-reported or both) at the baseline and follow-up.
Study design	In this review articles with both random and non-random allocation of participants to study groups were included, but results from observational studies were not reported.